1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper discriminating apparatus for discriminating papers such as paper moneys, and more particularly, to an apparatus for discriminating paper moneys, which is incorporated into an automatic teller machine (hereinafter, referred to as an ATM) for executing transactions such as receipt of money, payment, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto there is widely used an ATM for executing transactions such as receipt of money, and payment, through an operation of a user, sorting out received paper moneys for each sort of money, and excluding false bills. Such an ATM incorporates thereinto, for example, such a function that a paper money is detected in its entirety to obtain image data and the paper money is discriminated on the basis of the general aspect of the paper indicated by the image data thus obtained.
By the way, with respect to paper moneys, it is usual that the inherent money number for each paper money is printed at two places on each paper money. Thus, for example, dividing each of two true bills into the halves and combining the respective different halves makes it possible to form a so-called different number bill having two different paper money numbers. It is prohibited by a that such a different number bill is exchanged for a true bill. However, according to the function of discriminating paper moneys, which is incorporated into the conventional ATM, it is impossible to distinguish the different number bill from a true bill, since it is regarded as a true bill if the general aspect of paper moneys is decided as no problem in a certain range, so that the different number bill is recognized as a true bill. And thus there is a problem that the different number bill may be exchanged for a true bill. This type of problem may be involved in various sorts of paper moneys in which the inherent character string is recorded at a plurality of places on each paper money. Hereinafter, a paper having two different inherent character strings is referred to as a xe2x80x9cdifferent number billxe2x80x9d in a similar fashion to that of paper moneys.
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a paper discriminating apparatus capable of distinguishing a different number bill from a true bill.
To accomplish the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, there is provided a paper discriminating apparatus wherein a paper, in which character strings inherent for each sheet are recorded on a plurality of character areas, is detected so that the paper is discriminated in accordance with image data obtained by detection of the paper. The discriminating apparatus comprises the following:
a character sensor for reading the plurality of character areas of the paper in the form of an image;
a character recognition unit for recognizing the character strings recorded on the plurality of character areas in accordance with image data obtained by said character sensor; and
a character decision unit for deciding a coincidence between the character strings recorded on the plurality of character areas, said character strings being recognized by said character recognition unit.
In the above-mentioned paper discriminating apparatus, it is preferable that said character decision unit decides whether the character strings recorded on the plurality of character areas, said character strings being recognized by said character recognition unit, are character strings in which mutually same characters are arranged in mutually same sequence.
According to the paper discriminating apparatus of the present invention, an identity of a plurality of character strings recorded on a plurality of character areas on a paper are decided, thereby removing the different number bills.
In the above-mentioned paper discriminating apparatus, it is preferable that the paper discriminating apparatus further comprises an image sensor for detecting a full range of a paper to obtain image data for the paper, said image sensor being lower in resolution than said character sensor.
For example, as to a sensor for obtaining image data to do a decision of a sort of paper moneys and a decision of authenticity of paper moneys, it is preferable that such a sensor has a low resolution to such an extent that a difference between paper money numbers involves no variation. On the other hand, as to a sensor for obtaining image data to do a recognition of characters, it is necessary that such a sensor has a high resolution to such an extent that a difference between paper money numbers can be discriminated in the form of an image.
The sensor having a high resolution is expensive as compared with the sensor having a low resolution. Thus, in order to contribute to the low cost, it is desirable that the sensor having a high resolution is reduced in size as much as possible.
Generally, in the event that the inherent character string is recorded on a paper, the character area at which the character string is recorded is part which is a determined in position beforehand on the paper.
For the reasons mentioned above, it is preferable that the inexpensive image sensor, which is low in resolution, is used to obtain image data on an entire paper so that decisions, except a decision as to whether it is a different number bill, are performed in accordance with the image data thus obtained. With respect to the decision as to whether it is a different number bill, since a high resolution is required, the character sensor having a high resolution is used to obtain image data on that particular occasion for the character area. This feature permits that a size of the character sensor is reduced approximately to a size of the character area, and thus it is possible to implement the paper discriminating apparatus of the present invention at a relatively low cost.
In the above-mentioned paper discriminating apparatus, it is preferable that the paper discriminating apparatus further comprises an image sensor for detecting a full range of a paper to obtain image data for the paper, and a paper discrimination unit for discriminating a sort of paper in accordance with the image data obtained by said image sensor,
wherein said character recognition unit recognizes a character recorded on character areas according to the sort of paper decided in said paper discrimination unit.
According to the paper discriminating apparatus as mentioned above, for example, as in paper moneys, even in the event that there exist a plurality of sorts of moneys, and positions of character areas are different from one another on each sort of money, the paper discrimination unit decides the sort of paper, and the character recognition unit recognizes the character string in accordance with the sort of paper. This feature makes it possible to remove different number bills on each of a plurality of sorts of papers.